1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to rural mailboxes, and more particularly to a mailbox operable by a mail carrier through remote control to open and close the mailbox door and lower a signal flag.
2. Description of the Related Art
The manual opening and closing of a mailbox door and lowering of a mailbox flag by a mail carrier is a time-consuming task. The problem is greatly augmented when repeated many times along the course of a mail route. In recognition of this problem, U.S. Pat. No. 3,733,026 to Rowe et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 4,223,828 to Witley et al. have attempted to provide a system for opening and closing the door of a roadside mailbox by the passing of a mail service vehicle. The mailbox includes a door having an outwardly projecting arm engageable by a slanted actuating rod mounted on the vehicle. As the vehicle approaches the mailbox, engagement of the actuating rod with the arm opens the mailbox door. As the vehicle leaves the mailbox, the rod becomes disengaged from the arm and the door is closed by a return spring. A signal flag on the mailbox, if raised, is automatically lowered by opening the door through a mechanical connection between the flag and door. This system requires precise alignment between the vehicle and mailbox. Many times, mailboxes are installed by residents at varying heights, which makes it difficult to provide any interengageable mechanical system between the vehicle and mailbox.